


A Broken Necklace

by fairyeyes



Category: THE iDOLM@STER
Genre: Alternate Universe - Twins, Amnesia, Family Drama, Gen, Kidnapping, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-17
Updated: 2018-10-08
Packaged: 2019-06-28 15:40:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15710220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fairyeyes/pseuds/fairyeyes
Summary: It was a golden necklace and a silver necklace. Kyoko received the gold and Noriko received the silver and they promised their grandmother they would always wear it, no matter what.





	1. Prologue: A Promise

**Author's Note:**

> This is a commission fic that had been long since brewing. She loves fics like these and we've actually talked about this idea for a while but I think I finally have it! I hope she likes it and I hope you like this! This will be completed, so don't worry!

# A Broken Necklace

## Prologue: A Promise

Twins were born – they looked alike in every way but their mother knew who they were. The two beautiful baby girls were born as Kyoko and Noriko Igarashi. The two girls spent their formative years as two children did – they teased each other. They played games with each other although it quickly became obvious that Noriko was more energetic than her more reserved sister, Kyoko.

But the two were always patient with one another – when Kyoko was scared, it was Noriko who took charge. Most people wouldn’t expect Kyoko to be the older sibling but that never seemed to bother two toddlers. As they learned to walk on their own and learned to talk just as quickly, they always helped each other out. It didn’t seem like a big deal to them when they started to play without one another but they always ended up together one way or another.

Kyoko loved to have tea parties with her stuffed animals and was extremely feminine but Noriko was more adventurous and would try to climb everything she could in her frilly dresses which irritated their mother to no end. While their father worked hard to maintain their elaborate lifestyle, whenever he had a day off, he would take the family somewhere fun – like the beach, a museum, or something like that. The girls usually stayed quiet when they could although Kyoko was certainly the fussier of the two.

She was a bit more sensitive to the areas she was in and always wanted the company of her mother while Noriko preferred the comfort of her father, but it wasn’t a bad relationship between the girls and their parents. They all seemed to get along with each other as the years rolled by before them.

When the girls were a bit bigger, on their 6th birthday, they both got a very special present. It was their first encounter with death when their grandmother passed away. On her deathbed, they were given a pair of necklaces her and her own twin sister had since they were children. Apparently, it’s a generational gift passed from one set of twins to the next generation as a tie to their bond. The chains were the only things that were seemingly modern but the pendants themselves seemed to be hearts.

Noriko asked if they were lockets but the grandmother merely smiled at the question.

“I had it made especially for you two,” she managed to sweetly answer. The grandmother was clearly weak with whatever disease that was about to take her life. She still had a very sweet and kind aura but Noriko still felt a bit sad – she couldn’t fully comprehend it but she knew this would’ve been the last time she would see her grandmother this way.

It was a golden necklace and a silver necklace. Kyoko received the gold and Noriko received the silver and they promised their grandmother they would always wear it, no matter what.

Once it was clear the grandmother was about to pass on, the two twins sat outside the hospital room as their uncles and aunts made it inside to say their tearful goodbyes. They certainly felt sad and a strange sort of warm fuzzy feeling – touched, they would later learn. The two twins stayed quiet throughout the night.

The two remained quiet as the funeral service went on. They didn’t want to make their family sadder. They wore their necklaces as promised and carried on with their lives after that.

However, one month after their grandmother’s passing, their father seemed to decide to go out for a drive but only invited Noriko. She didn’t want to go because it was so early in the morning; plus it rained outside. It was comfortable when it rained and she slept next to her older sister but her father forced her awake.

“I promise I’ll get you candy when we make it to our destination. Come on, we need to hurry.” He seemed to be in a rush. He already wore a very thick coat; it was true that winter was coming and their mother always worried about how warm and cold they were. Noriko followed orders even though she pouted. Her hair was left down since their father wasn’t very good with their hairstyles – he always pulled too hard or brushed their hard extra hard.

Noriko didn’t remember what she mumbled but reluctantly she got ready. She turned around and saw Kyoko waking up. She didn’t know exactly what was going on but she hoped her sister could wake up long enough to alert their mother.

But Kyoko went back to sleep.

When the two went to the familiar car filled with happy memories, the cold rain poured. Even though she wore her coat, that had multi-colored doughnuts on it, she still shivered at how cold the autumn rainfall was. She then noticed her father putting in her familiar luggage in the trunk of the car.

It was still a little dark outside but because of the grey clouds, Noriko wasn’t sure what time it was. She guessed it was kind of early because of her internal clock but she was more concerned where her father planned to do. She couldn’t help but yawn and ask her father.

“Papa… where are we going? Are Mama and Kyoko-nee coming?” Her tired voice tried to carry over the heavy rain.

He didn’t answer for a while. She grew a bit scared but finally, he turned and smiled after a sigh.

“We’re going on a trip without them. Sometimes, it’s best if mommies and daddies don’t stay together for a really long time.”

“But Papa, why can’t Kyoko-nee go with us? Why can’t I stay with Mama instead?”

She didn’t realize how bad that hurt her father but his expression softened after he laughed it off. Her father seemed like a typical salaryman with seemingly huge glasses that were a bit too big for his face.

“Because Mama doesn’t want you around anymore.”

When he said that, Noriko’s heart seemed to stop then and there. “Wh-what? I thought Mama loved Noriko-chan!!” Noriko wanted to make sure that she didn’t hear him wrong.

He shook his head. “Mama never did. It was an act, Noriko-chan. We’re trying to make it easier if we just … leave, Noriko-chan.” She didn’t pick up on his pause but she did feel extremely sad. She tried to piece together what her father just said. He wouldn’t lie, would he? But Mama always loved Noriko… she even said so… but was that a lie too?

“Come on. Let’s get inside the car before you get sick.” He nudged her in the passenger seat, something Noriko always wanted to do. Usually, their mother sat in the passenger seat. Sometimes Kyoko got a chance too but it was pretty rare for Noriko to.

Even with the sadness in her heart, Noriko took the seat and, after her father properly fastened her seatbelt, Noriko looked outside the window as best she could and started to cry.

Her father made it to the other side and seemed he wanted to say something, but he didn’t. He started the car and they were driving.

She couldn’t believe her mother didn’t love her. What did she do wrong? Was there something she could do to make it up? Was it because she always ruined her dresses? If she could go back and apologize, if she had bigger legs, if she could move this car, she would. She’d be an exact copy of Kyoko. She’d help her Mama around the house. She’d play tea party more often with Kyoko. As long as they loved her, that’s all Noriko wanted.

_But Papa said… He wouldn’t lie to me…_

The girl kept crying as her father drove. She couldn’t tell where they headed. She didn’t recognize roads, as well as Kyoko, did but her feelings only felt worse the further and further they went on. Eventually, Noriko stopped crying and just clenched her necklace with her fist.

The rain didn’t let up. However, there was an unusual bump. This scared Noriko because it was so sudden and she jumped so high.

She turned to her Papa and he looked at her and smiled once again.

“Noriko-chan, be a good girl.”

Then he did something weird to the gear in between them. The car suddenly rolled into something and Noriko was so scared. She didn’t know what to do. She tried to take off the seatbelt but her father reached over and stopped her.

“I said, be a good girl.”

Slowly, Noriko nodded. She had to listen to her father, no matter what.

And then something sloshed against the car. Noriko’s heart pounded and she couldn’t take it anymore. She didn’t know what that sound meant but she could feel them slowly sink in. She yanked the seatbelt. She could feel the material graze her throat and start to choke her. She felt so frantic. She already lost control of her body. She started to whimper and cry. She shook her legs – maybe it could get the seatbelt loose. Maybe this is a bad game her Papa was playing. Maybe it’s a joke but whatever it was, she did not want to play anymore. It wasn’t funny!

“P-papa, I’m scared! I’m scared! What’s going on?” She continued to fight the seatbelt and wanted to get out so bad.

It was then she saw her father give her the scariest look he could muster.

He slapped her hand and she yelped.

“I said, be a good girl! Why don’t you ever listen to your Papa? You never listen to anyone!”

Noriko looked at him wide-eyed.

“I-I’m sorry, Papa…I’m sorry…”

Then he smiled.

“I promise. I’ll buy you candy when we get there.”


	2. Chapter One: Paradise Separated

# A Broken Necklace

## Chapter One: Paradise Separated

“How many years has it been?” The woman asked as she stroked a picture of her daughter as a child.

“I-it’s been ten years… Mama… She’s not coming back.”

The older woman chuckled. “You say that every year, Kyoko-chan.”

It was the same as it was ten years ago, as it was every year around this awful anniversary.

The teenager didn’t respond but she was also really sad. It had been ten years since her father took her sister away from them and committed suicide. Her mother was under the impression, no, the delusion that her sister was somehow still alive. The truth of the matter was: her sister was long since dead. There were no qualms about it.

From what she understood, one autumn evening ten years ago, their father kidnapped Noriko for a weird suicide pact and attempted suicide. Eventually, she learned the details of what happened – he tried to drown himself along with her younger sister.

They found him and he was alive somehow. It was a joke. It was an awful joke. They couldn’t find Noriko’s body. They claimed they swam to the bottom of the ocean and found nothing but her luggage filled with clothes. They couldn’t even find her jacket. Kyoko distinctly remembered Noriko wearing her doughnut jacket that night. They were useless… they couldn’t even find that.

Why couldn’t have she woke up? Why couldn’t she have alerted her mother? She failed as the eldest of the two. And yet, around her neck was the golden necklace her grandmother gave her. She remembered the promised she made with her grandmother and her precious sister.

It was almost too much to bear. She cried as she did every year.

The man she called her father gave a private statement to the detectives but he finally accomplished his goals to end his life in his own jail cell. He wouldn’t give the location of Noriko’s body. Her mother wouldn’t share what was given – but this somehow only fueled her mother’s delusion that her twin sister is alive somehow.

Every year, it was like clockwork. The teenaged girl would need to take a day off for this particular day. It was cruel of her father. She wasn’t sure if she should even call him her father at this point. As she grew up, she learned more and more how twisted her father truly was.

He was obsessed with twins. More accurately, he was extremely afraid of them. She had learned that around the same time, her grandmother’s twin also passed away in a kidnapping. It was a weird tradition Kyoko had found out and realized she didn’t want anything to do with her father’s side. They tried to come to the house to console and pay for the funeral services that never happened – they were just as convinced that Noriko was gone.

But Kyoko didn’t need their help. She refused their help. Eventually, her mother received the money behind Kyoko’s back from her father’s family and promised to give them an allowance for what happened. The family was apparently used to crazy suicide pacts such as this – it just happened to be this generation. Her mother accepted – while her mother worked, they received a small allowance to help with the bills until Kyoko was able to work.

Kyoko was angry with her mother when she found an extra bank book in their usual spot. Her mother tried to convince Kyoko that they were apologetic and they needed the money. Kyoko was stubborn but she had no choice but to allow it. After all, it was her mother’s bank account.

The deal between her mother and Kyoko was that Kyoko was to keep the house clean and tidied while her mother worked at her jobs. She had to get multiple jobs after the incident – they had found that her name brought bad luck. Her mother never changed her last name; she absolutely refused to change back to her maiden name.

“I know you can never forgive your father, Kyoko-chan, but… I hope you can understand me. Wouldn’t it be strange that a mother and daughter have different last names?”

Frustrated, Kyoko knew she was right.

Her friends from school tried to give her the space she needed on that day, of all days, but they couldn’t do anything about it. Kyoko worked hard not just at home but in her studies. She wanted to see if she could try to get into the top universities to become a chef; she would always try to work her best to treat her mother to delicious meals after she came home from any of her jobs. Her mother deserved the world after the pain.

But on this day, it was okay to be weak. Once Kyoko was old enough, she never stayed in the house on this anniversary. She had her own copy of the apartment key and her mother never faulted her and seemed to trust her. Kyoko never really wanted to stay out that long anyway so for her, that trust was granted and appreciated.

She used her favorite flower umbrella as she wrapped herself up in her rain gear. Kyoko put on a muffler around her ears and mouth; she was always so sensitive around that area when it got cold. She always had a natural aversion to this type of weather. Autumn was her least favorite time of year. It reminded her that things died. It reminded her sister died. It reminded her that her father should’ve drowned.

As she walked around the neighborhood, she decided to walk down the market road to see what was on sale. Maybe she could pick something up for dinner that night…

The usual crowds of older women and groups of other teenage girls from other schools and even her own school crowd around each other cluttered the street. Kyoko could weirdly find comfort in the noise that surrounded her. It reminded her of how noisy Noriko was.

She remembered when she played a tea party with her stuffed animals and Noriko had a friend over. They ran all over the play area and they accidentally knocked over her little table. Thankfully, no liquid was actually in it but Noriko apologized on behalf of her friend and helped Kyoko clean up. Noriko even made it into a silly game of pretending her stuffed animals got in a fight about a flavor of cookies.

At the time, Kyoko remembered feeling angry and annoyed. Embarrassed, she later recalled, was what she mainly felt because that was a game they always played together; but it was a good memory.

However, she felt someone knock into her. Kyoko didn’t realize she clutched to her necklace again as she remembered. She held it protectively as the person behind her fell on the ground.

“Ow! Oh man, I’m so sorry! I guess I didn’t see where I was going!” The young girl said. She laughed at herself as she got up and got the dirt off of her own rain gear. Somehow, some way, the voice struck Kyoko like lightning and she turned around.

For just a moment, she thought she saw a young copy of herself but in the doughnut jacket she wore that night… but instead, it was another girl. She had a bright smile on her face. Somehow, her face seemed to be familiar but she couldn’t quite place it.

It was almost like she looked into a mirror if the girl changed the position of her ponytail.

Same hair, same tone of skin, same facial structure… but something was off.

Finally, Kyoko remembered her voice but before she could speak, the girl yelled something behind Kyoko.

“Ah, I hope you’re okay! Sorry again, miss!” The girl smiled brightly. Her accent seemed to be different than what she heard before – but then she recalled that there was a girl from Osaka coming in. Kyoko had to blink and shake her head.

“I-it’s okay… Are you okay?”

The girl nodded. Again, very familiar to Kyoko. “I’m fine as rain!” She brought out a cell phone that had a singular doughnut charm on it. But before Kyoko could get control of her thoughts, the girl screamed in surprise. “Oh man, oh man! I better get going! Hey, sorry again! Bye!”

She ran in the direction she originally headed towards and saw that there was a bakery opening up there. One that was new and unfamiliar to Kyoko, though, granted, Kyoko hadn’t been in the marketplace in a while but…

Kyoko held her necklace tighter than ever as she tried to find her breath.


	3. Chapter Two: Sweet Rainfalls

# A Broken Necklace

## Chapter Two: Sweet Rainfalls

“Noriko-chan, you’re late! Come on, help me with this batch!”

Shiina Noriko looked where she came in from but she was brought back to earth when she saw her mother struggling with the batch of sweet breads. “Ah, sorry, Mama!”

She rushed over to behind the counter and helped keep the tray balanced as the two put it where it needed to be. Her mother rubbed sweat off her brow and let out a relieved sigh. Noriko smiled brightly as she giggled. “Mama, you always work so hard! Have you taken a break yet?”

“Now, now, we have to make a good impression when we have our grand opening! And haven’t I told you to stop calling me Mama? Aren’t you sixteen by now? Call me Mother, already!” She rubbed herself with a towel. Even though it was autumn and cool with the rain, it was still pretty humid and hot around the oven. She gave out another relieved sigh.

Noriko visibly pouted. “But Mama…I’m forever your Noriko-chan! Even though you adopted me, you’re still my Mama!” She twirled around and giggled. Her mother gave out an exaggerated resigned sigh at her daughter’s antics and seemed to smile along.

From what Noriko remembered, her Mama and Papa weren’t her biological parents.  She was found in water at a faraway place that happened to be remote and she simply had a jacket covered with doughnuts. Inside the jacket, her name ‘Noriko’ was written in very simple hiragana; that’s how she knew her name. She would never take the jacket off; even now she still had it in her room. The only time she ever had the jacket off was when it was time for laundry and bath time. They tried to find her real parents but Noriko couldn’t remember a thing.

She had a silver necklace wrapped around her neck as well. Because of the state she was found in, there was serious water damage to where she can’t open the locket to see what was inside.

Noriko didn’t remember at all how she got into the water. The authorities were simple-minded and merely wanted to warm the girl up. They wanted to make sure she was fed, clothed, and had water to drink. It was a very exciting day when the Shiina couple came over and found her.

And it was even better when they adopted her.

For a long time, the young girl had a huge aversion to her Papa – she simply couldn’t be alone with him. They couldn’t enjoy the beach days either. Something about the wide, wide ocean tightened her chest. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t focus and could feel scared and helpless. She always felt bad when she couldn’t go.

They told her they didn’t need to forgive her – sometimes, we all have things that we’re afraid of that can’t be easily explained. They told her she was a good girl. They always told her she was a good girl.

Noriko worked hard to be a proper lady, maybe it was because she wanted to please her new parents, but it was extra hard for the bubbly girl. She did have an interest in feminine things but she always felt more comfortable running around and being more active. She did take up some sports in school as she grew up but it always felt that she had to be strong for someone – but she wasn’t sure who.

She would resign herself and realize maybe she needed to be strong for herself.

“The doctor says she has amnesia,” Noriko overheard her father speak to her mother. She had about to climb down the stairs for some water but she caught their conversation. “We’re lucky that she at least knew her name.”

Her mother sighed in her familiar way. “Tatsumi, what happens if she remembers her real family? Would we get in trouble?”

Her father grunted as he thought about it. A habit that once terrified that now grew into tolerance as the years went by. “We shouldn’t… if we report to the proper authorities, that is. We’ll let Noriko-chan decide, Sakaki. If she wants to learn who her real parents are, she has that right you know.”

“I… I don’t want to give her up so soon. Or ever, really,” her mother laughed derisively at her own comment. “Plus, we have it officiated with the government, right? We have a legal bearing, right?”

He shook his head. “I stand by what I said. If and when Noriko remembers, she has that right.”

Her mother held back some tears but some still fell down her face. “I…I know this. I understand this. Call me selfish… but I hope her memories never come back.”

The man hugged his wife gently as she continued to hold back her tears. Noriko was shocked although she was very much aware of her adoption. It was true, though, she could not remember before that day she woke up in the hospital.

Since then, Noriko did have some strange dreams. She would never call them memories. To call them memories meant she would be separated from her kind and hard-working parents. Maybe her real parents did miss her – but then, why was she found in the ocean? Why did she only have the necklace and a doughnut jacket with only her name written in hiragana?

Wouldn’t her real parents put in other information as well? How arrogant were they?

The dreams she had always involved her and another little girl that looked just like her. Unlike Noriko, the other little girl was a bit daintier than her and always cried when certain things didn’t ‘feel’ right. She remembered any time someone promised her to buy Noriko candy, she’d get unreasonably angry and would lash out.  Her parents treated her with doughnuts instead and Noriko savored those more than candy.

Her peers would call her weird for that but accepted it anyway. It wasn’t that big of a deal especially since most of them accepted that as part of Noriko’s personality.

Noriko worked hard on her studies. She wanted to take over her parents’ bakery when she was old enough because she saw how hard her parents worked. Her parents deserved the world after their troubles.

It was a shock when they told Noriko they were moving. She was sad she had to leave her friends behind but as long as they were able to email and stay in contact… it should be fine, right? After all, Noriko was ready for a brand new experience! She always was.

Although, Noriko was the type to wear her heart on her sleeve.  A memory she had was when she was wearing a frilly dress and decided to climb a tree – she wanted to overcome it but her mirror copy was angry and yelled at her to stop. She didn’t want her to get in trouble!

But Noriko didn’t want to. Gravity, however, convinced her otherwise. Noriko remembered she was about to cry but her mirror copy hugged her and then tried to climb the tree herself. She wasn’t as good as Noriko but she managed to get as dirty as she was.

“There! Now we’ll both get in trouble. Come on, Noriko-chan!”

She never remembered the mirror copy’s name. But Noriko must’ve trusted her with her whole heart. She wouldn’t have done that. She wouldn’t have said that. Noriko knew they must have a special bond with one another that couldn’t be placed.

At dinner, they ate together as noisily as they always did. Buns along with miso soup and a small bowl of rice graced her taste buds as she happily ate them. She forced the dreams away. It didn’t matter what sort of bond she and the mirror copy had anymore. That girl must’ve been an imaginary friend of sorts. Noriko would think of something like that, wouldn’t she? Only Noriko would think of a twin sister!

Once dinner was over, Noriko went to her room where she had a small television set. She flipped through the local channels from her bed to see what cool channels the local area had and couldn’t find anything interesting. However, as she flipped through the channels, she kept thinking about that girl she bumped into earlier.

She couldn’t see her face fully, but, like lightning, she felt something between them. They seemed to have the same face, same face structure. If the girl’s hair was position differently, they really could’ve been mirror copies of each other! Although, Noriko thought she was a bit too proper for their age.

“Hmm… How did I know we’re the same age? Gah! It’s not impossible to meet other girls my age! RELAX!” She slapped her face against the palms of her hands. A strange dream was coming, wasn’t it? She hit her face a few more times as she felt the sting from the mini-slaps. She didn’t want to abandon her parents. They love and care about her.

Her Papa was very patient with her strange fear. He didn’t seem offended but Noriko learned that Papas did get sad. She somewhat found it familiar but decided to beat it. Sometimes, the young girl had really bad days but she worked really hard. She knew this Papa wouldn’t hurt her. He’s a kind Papa.

And Mama too. Mama told Noriko every day that she loved her; even to this day, her Mama told her that she loved her. On really bad days, Mama and Papa always do something to remind her that they loved her and they wanted her. Sometimes Mama got annoyed that Noriko always called her Mama, but really, she did love it.

Noriko didn’t want to visit these bad feelings anymore. Instead, she decided to go to bed. It would be a few more days before she would have to go to her new school and make new friends. She enjoyed being at home and helping out her parents with the bakery although they insisted Noriko explore the market street once in a while. Something did strike her as familiar about it but it was probably déjà vu.

The young girl tossed and turned until she saw her favorite stuffed animal, a fluffy bunny that reminded Noriko of a doughnut. It was one of the first gifts her adoptive parents bought her and Noriko promised she would keep it with her. She then considered the necklace. No matter what, no matter how damaged it got, she knew that she couldn’t throw it away.

It was the only strange dream she had that she kept in her heart – it was a promise Noriko must’ve made a long time ago. And she intended to keep it.


	4. Chapter Three: Raised Heartbeats

# A Broken Necklace

## Chapter Three: Raised Heartbeats

As soon as Kyoko came home, she went straight to her room. Her mother had fallen asleep where she sat so she knew she had some time before she had to make dinner. Once she closed the door, once she knew she was in her own sphere, she crouched down and held in her screams. She didn’t want to wake up her mother.

No, because that wasn’t Noriko. She had her face, she had her attitude, and for a sweet glimmer, she thought she saw her sister. No, Noriko was dead. Her remains were at sea and floated away. Her jacket had caught some poor fish. There was absolutely no way that girl was Noriko! Her sperm donor had given the location of her body and her mother was just delusional. It’s the rains. It was the rains that caused her the delusion. This wretched day made Kyoko dream up that girl. She probably had another face from the crowd and Kyoko simply imagined it all. Her hate for that man only grew even bigger.

Tears streamed down her face as quickly as the rains did. She grabbed her head. It was too close of a likeness. It really was like looking into a mirror. Whoever that doppelganger was, Kyoko was ready to get rid of her. She wanted to end the day with a nice dinner with her mother and surprise her with some cake. She wasn’t even able to buy ingredients for dinner.

Her frustration grew so much that her head hurt from crying so much. She even reached up and ripped off the chain from her necklace. Angrily, she threw it across the room and cried even more.

“I’m sorry,” Kyoko managed to get out. “I’m so sorry, grandmother… I’m sorry! I can’t keep the promise anymore! Noriko is dead! She’s dead! That girl… That girl is a fraud! Grandmother, if you were here, you’d understand…Forgive me… forgive me…”

She didn’t know what she spoke of anymore. Even she couldn’t understand her own words and thoughts; just her maniacal cries.

Kyoko eventually calmed down but her head pounded. She didn’t even feel like cooking that night but once her cries devolved into sniffles and softer cries. Her anger and sadness didn’t dissipate though. It would never so long as that girl was still around. Kyoko could feel her body shake; sadness and anger were powerful and confusing emotions. She wasn’t sure what she felt more.

She didn’t know how long she cried and how long she stayed in her position. She had even forgotten she wore her soaked rain gear from earlier. She still shook as she slowly took it off but then her mother finally knocked on her door.

Kyoko opened the door only slightly to see her worried mother behind the door. Her anger only grew more for the fake copy when she saw how tired her mother was. All the years of hard work because her father decided to throw it away because of his irrational fear of twins…

“Kyoko-chan, is everything okay?”

Her mother already knew the answer to that. She wasn’t blind to Kyoko’s tear-stained face but she seemed to want to hear it from her daughter.

“Mama… I’m sorry…I’ll be out soon.” She looked down as she made it clear she wasn’t in a state to be seen.

“Oh, uh, I got us dinner so whenever you’re ready. Kyoko-chan, Noriko-chan will come home to us soon. Just be patient, okay?” Her mother smiled her usual delusional smile. Did she see her too? It was obvious she worked at the bakery and she could step out any time. She must’ve seen her…

Kyoko closed the door as she let the thoughts brew in her head. Her anger burst through her but her body was so tired out from crying.

**.x.**

Days after the anniversary, Kyoko was able to go to school. She continued to push the fake Noriko out of her mind as she settled back into her usual routine.

“Kyoko-chan!” her friend, Miho Kohinata, a girl who adored bears, showed up with a bright smile on her face. Because of the weather, the students wore their winter uniforms. Their summer uniforms were essentially the same as their winter ones but with shorter sleeves, but the general look is a typical sailor uniform with black ribbons. The school colors were white, black, and red. Their sweater was white while they had red trimmings to help compliment the uniform for the girls. They all wore pins which better indicated their years. Kyoko and her friends were in their second years and they wanted to enjoy themselves.

“How are you feeling?” Miho smiled brightly as she made it to her friend’s locker space. Kyoko had just switched her regular shoes with her assigned slippers. Kyoko smiled softly. Even though she was still very angry, she was always happy to see Miho.

“I’m feeling better.” Kyoko fibbed. She was still very angry. She could feel her anger flare up again however, it was easier to hold it back. She couldn’t be angry in front of her friends. In school, Kyoko was the class representative and as such, she had an image to keep up. She was one of the top students in her class, even with her circumstances, and she had to maintain her kind image. “It’s always rough… Mother decided to treat us to some delicious food.” A half-truth was all Kyoko could really and truly muster.

She didn’t share her mother’s delusions to Miho or to anyone. Why would she? It was nonsense and it only really ever came out on the anniversary of her sister’s death.

Miho smiled and nodded understandably. The girls chatted about something or other as they made their way to class when they spotted their younger friend, Anastasia Uesaka. Her silver hair seemed messy, as it sometimes did during cold days. Usually, that meant she was distracted by something again…

“Anastasia-chan! Good morning!” Kyoko stated gently. The younger girl turned around and smiled back.

“Good morning, Kyoko-sempai,” Anastasia replied. She almost seemed to want to bow but she stopped herself. It seemed that her accent started to disappear to Kyoko and she was happy for her. Anastasia had moved from Russia when she was in her first year of junior high and Kyoko and Miho happened to be there for her to help adjust to the major cultural change.

Again, the girls chatted with each other and soon Kyoko looked at her small wristwatch.

She couldn’t help but notice her body shaking again.

She felt truly naked without her grandmother’s necklace. Ever since she tore it off, she felt this way. She felt that she spat on her grandmother’s grave by doing such an act. She felt she spat on Noriko’s grave as well – as if to say Kyoko would rather forget about her than take care of the doppelganger.

She wanted to fix that feeling. She’ll get the necklace when she’s able to and get a new chain. She actually happened to have a spare chain in her somewhat empty jewelry box and felt a bit more optimistic than apologetic. However, once she had her resolve, she made a mental note to pray to her family’s shrine that evening to pray for forgiveness.

Once she settled into her feelings, she felt a tap on her shoulder. Miho had a suspicious look on her face and she and Anastasia looked towards where Miho pointed and all of Kyoko’s anger crashed into her all at once.

“Hey, Kyoko-chan, why does that girl look like you? That’s really cruel of them!”

It wasn’t a secret around the student body. It had never been a secret that her sister was part of a weird suicide pact. She worked damned hard to change that image of hers from a cursed girl to someone who rose from her struggles – and that monstrous copy really did show up at her school.

Again, that girl looked just like her in every way. Every way. Their uniforms were exactly the same. They had the same year pin. They had the same smile. They had the same brightness. They had the same hair color and sheen. The only major difference was that Kyoko had her ponytail on the side while this monstrosity had her ponytail in the back.

Her sister and she always had the exact same hairstyle and that’s the only thing that changed between them.  Rage controlled her body as she ran towards her in the crowded hallway. She didn’t know what she was doing – she only saw red. She only saw the pain her mother suffered through. She only heard the phone ring – the police letting them know her father had hung himself in his cell. She only felt raw anger and an adrenaline rush that she had never felt in her life.

The sound of sudden skin on skin contact silenced the hallway of chattering students. The next the Kyoko knew she was on top of the doppelganger.

“How dare you! How dare you! How dare you wear the same face as my sister! Let her go! Give her back to me! How dare, how dare, how dare you! This is an awful joke! Give her back! Give her back my sister!”

She didn’t realize how hard she shook the confused and scared girl. She seemed to try to stop Kyoko but she didn’t’ seem to have the strength. Kyoko screamed more as tears furiously came out.

Finally, Kyoko saw her silver necklace. She did notice that it was damaged but there was a familiarity to it.

She finally stopped for a brief moment when she saw it. Everything became slow for a moment as it processed in her head but time caught up with her as she shook her even harder than she thought she had the strength to.

“I’ll…kill…”

But before Kyoko could finish her sentence, she was eventually dragged by Miho and Anastasia. She wasn’t sure when they came up behind her or even touched her. The young, hysterical girl was dragged away and everyone in the student body was shocked but they almost crowded on the girl who lied on the ground, almost completely motionless on the ground.

The fake Noriko was a cruel doll after all. She was covered in Kyoko’s tears and didn’t move for anything.


	5. Chapter Four: A Doll's Strength

# A Broken Necklace

## Chapter Four: A Doll’s Strength

The violence in the hallways that morning echoed all across the school even as Noriko was kept in the infirmary. On her first day, she wanted to make new friends but instead, she had that girl, the girl she must’ve run into a few days ago, attacked her. She was stiff because it hurt to move. Her shoulder hurt, her wrists hurt, but the thing that hurt the most was her spirit. She didn’t understand why that girl attacked her in such a way.

Her words echoed in her head.

“Give me back my sister!”

Noriko cried. It hurt so much. She wished she referred to her physical body but her heart was the most broken of them all. She tried to quietly sob but it was impossible. Her throat felt raw and her head pounded. She wished she was back in Osaka after all. Her strange dream came up in the middle of that girl’s behavior.

She remembered a face, a very scary face. She remembered a slap to her hands instead of her face. The girl had scraped her face with a fingernail because it left a scratch on her face and it stung.

“Be a good girl! You never listen to anyone!”

She continued to cry and even forced herself to curl up in her bed. She didn’t understand why she was having a strange dream then. She just wanted to enjoy high school like in the comics, like in the anime. She wanted to have a typical romantic experience of finding a boyfriend and maybe get married after school. However, her first day at school was a disaster. Noriko was attacked for the simple reason of being accused of wearing another girl’s face.

“How dare you!”

Noriko continued to cry. There might’ve been a nurse in the infirmary but she never comforted Noriko. She probably tried to keep the curious students out but Noriko was surprised to hear another young voice.

“Hey, hey, don’t cry so much. Don’t let that bitch win.”

The voice surprised Noriko so much that her eyes widened open and she shook as even more tears came out.

“I never liked her but wow. I never realized she could snap so easily!” The girl mused out loud.

Noriko peeked out of the blanket she was under and was more than aware of the condition of her face. She knew her face was red, puffy, and bandaged. However, she saw the girl had her hand on her hips and had an amused smile on her face. Noriko wasn’t sure what to make of the girl’s statement though.

“Oh, I never got a chance to introduce myself! I’m Nakano Yuka!” She posed with a peace sign and her mumbling “Osu!” under her breath. The pose didn’t last long and the girl sat down on Noriko’s bed. The girl had her hair tied in pigtails and Noriko wasn’t sure if she was younger or in the same year as her.

Noriko wasn’t sure what to say but she did have a lingering question.

“W-what…what happened to her sister?” Noriko managed to speak. The question was a bit silent but Yuka still seemed to understand her.

“Rumor has it that her family was involved in some weird cult! Her father kidnapped her sister one night and then drowned in the nearby ocean! But you know what’s creepy? They found the father alive but they never found her sister’s body! Ahh! How creepy!”

She made an exaggerated motion to indicate how scary the situation was. Noriko was admittedly scared but she couldn’t show it as easily as the girl did. Noriko found the strength to sit up and she could definitely feel the girl’s wrath on her body. Noriko’s head hit the floor multiple times and she was sure she had a concussion but she did feel she could sit up.

“I… She said that I looked like her… Were they twins or something?” Noriko asked.

“Yep! That’s what makes the whole thing weirder! He only took one of the twins! So, so weird!”

Her head was dulled from the painkillers perhaps but she felt that she was wrong to listen to this.

“That is creepy…” Noriko admitted.

“What’s your name? You’re the transfer student from Osaka, right? Cause your accent definitely sounds like it!”

Just as quickly as the incident happen, Noriko couldn’t help but smile.

“My name is Shiina Noriko. This was supposed to be my first day of school but I didn’t expect her to do that to me… Ah, this will leave a bad impression!” Noriko instinctively reached up with both her hands to slap herself but she remembered about the bandage and winced. “Ow, ow, ow…!!”

Yuka giggled. “Nah, I think if anything it’ll make the school a bit more interesting! See, you gotta understand something! Igarashi-kun may seem like the perfect class representative on the outside, but really, her ideals are so outdated!” She dragged out the word ‘so’ to really emphasize her point. “She always wants us girls to do home economics all the time and always made the boys do all the heavy lifting. You see, that would sound great but the boys in our class are weak! Very weak! I tell her that I’m at the top of my karate class but she insisted that it wasn’t ‘proper’! Huh! Rude!”

Noriko couldn’t help but giggle at Yuka’s animated antics. She could already feel how kind Yuka was towards in cheering her up. Maybe it wasn’t proper to talk bad about Igarashi-san… but the girl did just attack her out of nowhere.

“Well, I gotta admit that it is a little weird that you look almost exactly like Igarashi-kun if you changed the position of your ponytail but maybe her dad had something to hide! It’s possible, you know! Osaka isn’t that far away from here if you take a few trains or so!”

Noriko’s head throbbed again but at the mere suggestion that Igarashi-san’s father cheated on her mother somehow gave the girl a sickening feeling.

“Can we not talk about him anymore? It’s giving me a weird feeling.”

“O-oh! I’m sorry. Sometimes I get carried away!” She giggled and slightly bonked on her head and stuck out her tongue. Noriko smiled at her.

Eventually, the nurse showed up and shooed Yuka away.

“Hey, hey Shiina-kun! Before I leave, what class are you in?”

“I believe I’m in 2-B!”

“Sweet! I gotta introduce you to Yukari!”

“Come on! Let her rest!” The nurse insisted and Yuka walked out of the room. Once it was between the two, Noriko got a much better look at the nurse.

The woman was extremely gentle looking and her hair was fairly short and wavy. Noriko wasn’t sure how to read her name tag but the woman gave Noriko a gentle smile.

“How are you feeling, Shiina-san? On behalf of our school, I want to profusely apologize for what happened. Usually, Igarashi-san is a very kind girl so seeing her like that was quite shocking. Although… now that I got a good look at you…”

The nurse struggled to formulate the words that came out next but Noriko knew what she was going to say. So she beat her to the punch.

“Ahaha, I know – I look like Igarashi-san! I seem to be getting that a lot…”

Relieved that Noriko said it before she did; the nurse nodded and sighed softly. “My name is Yanagi Kiyora and I want you to know that you are welcome to come in here if the stress gets to you. Are you feeling well enough to continue the day? We’ve already contacted your parents and her mother.”

Noriko felt guilt – for her parents and, oddly, for Igarashi-san. There was a strange emphasis on ‘mother’ but Noriko shook her hands to get rid of her additional feelings. “A-ah, there’s no reason to do that… I’m okay… Shocked, but I’m okay. I can continue the day. I can overcome this!”

She posed to emphasize her point. The kind nurse stared at her for a moment. “Are you sure? Igarashi-san almost gave you a concussion.”

“N-no! It’s fine. If I feel bad, can I just come back?”

The nurse didn’t seem very comfortable with it but if the student insisted… Noriko knew her parents were shocked and would try to come to the school so she whipped out her cell phone and immediately dialed her home number.

She drummed her fingers against the blanket as the nurse stared at her. It didn’t take too long for her mother to answer the phone.

“Mama! It’s me, Noriko-chan!”

“Noriko! What happened?? Why did that girl attack you? We’re going to come right away to transfer you out! There’s no way you’re going to that awful school if this is how you’re going to be treated!”

Noriko winced. “Mama, it’s not her fault. I’ll talk to you when I’m home about it but… I’m okay. I want to stay at this school. I think I made a friend!”

“Noriko, listen to your mother. You cannot go to a school like that. You will only endanger yourself especially if that girl decides to bully you!”

“Mama… please. I made friends with a karate champion today! You don’t have to worry about that. I’ll have her teach me how to defend myself! Plus, you’ve worked super hard and saved so much to send me to this school. Please… let me finish my high school life here.”

Her mother sighed into the phone. Noriko knew she had her.

“Fine, but only because you know that girl. You better bring her by the bakery so I can properly check her out. I don’t want my precious Noriko-chan to become a victim of bullying!”

Noriko nervously laughed. “Mama, with you around, I think I’ll be perfectly fine. But please… don’t come.”

“Fine, I will but I’ll make sure Papa leaves the car in the morning so I can take you!”

“Yes, yes, Mama!”

And with that, the two hung up. She let out a sigh of relief and smiled at the nurse. “Mama’s not coming. I’ll be okay, Yanagi-san.”

**.x.**

Noriko had been bombarded with students trying to see who braved the Great Igarashi Attack. They were impressed how close the two girls looked alike and Noriko almost completely froze when she realized that the other girl wasn’t at school anymore – neither was that other girl who pulled her away from shaking Noriko. She did feel anger when she remembered her existence but she also felt sorry for her.

Yuka Nakano showed up and tried to ‘protect’ Noriko from the onslaught of the curious and nosy students. During lunch, the girls made their way upstairs to a music room Noriko sort of remembered from her tour of the school when she and her family arrived at the town. Inside the music room was a grand piano along with benches for the choir. There was a stand with no music sheets on it and the sound of a flute in the room.

The flute wasn’t bad and Noriko could tell the person worked especially hard to reach that level.

“Hey, Yukari!” Yuka called out. Noriko moved her head, which still hurt a little bit, towards the flute player she was surprised to see that the girl playing it was extremely beautiful. Her long hair flowed down like a dream and there was an airy feel about her.

Once the girl finished her note, she put the flute down and looked towards the two girls.

“Ah, Yuka-san… is it lunchtime already?”

“Yes! It’s been lunchtime!”

Noriko smiled and giggled.

“Oh, I see. Who is this?” The girl obliviously asked as she looked at Noriko. “She looks like Igaras—“

“She knows, she knows. Everyone in the school already told her!” She waved the comment off. “But this is Noriko Shiina! She’s the Osaka transfer student! Did you fall asleep in class again?”

The girl named Yukari thought about it and seemed to drift off. Yuka was clearly annoyed and poked the dreamy girl and the girl merely laughed. “This sleepy head is Mizumoto Yukari. You really gotta help me make sure she stays on earth.” Yuka poked her again.

Yukari couldn’t help but laugh again as she waved to Noriko. For the rest of the lunch period, she was immediately brought into the duet and they quickly became a trio. She suddenly felt a lot better although her heart still hurt. Perhaps it was remnants from a strange dream, but Noriko can indulge herself just this once and enjoy the possibility of having friends – the possibility that Noriko could overcome this pain.


	6. Chapter Five: Glistening Tears

#  **A Broken Necklace**

## Chapter Five: Glistening Tears

Kyoko didn’t understand why she did what she did. She could feel the rawness in her throat from the yells. She could feel how sore her arms and shoulders felt after she nearly gave that girl a concussion. She felt the remains of her reputation shatter before her very eyes.

The principal was lenient as it was her first day back from that anniversary.

“Only because you’re one of our top students, Igarashi-san,” he stated as he released a sigh. Kyoko never met his eyes. “We’ll give you a few more days off in order to avoid suspension.  Usually, we would but because your grades are part of the top tiers, we simply can’t do it. It’s doing wonders for our school’s image that a girl of your family background can rise so quickly.”

“However, when you’re back, we’re going to transfer you to another class – one you cannot see her and cannot interact with her.”

“Thank you so much for your kindness.” Kyoko could hear her mother say. She never looked up from her position. “I promise you… Kyoko will reflect on her actions and will make proper amends to that girl.”

The principal didn’t say anything in response. Kyoko thanked her lucky stars that watched her that the school cared more about its grades and image of those grades than what actually happened. Granted, it did warrant a suspension but Kyoko couldn’t throw her life away after one mistake. The only mistake that was made was the fact the girl transferred to their school. If it wasn’t for that…

“Come on, Kyoko. We’re leaving right now.”

If it wasn’t for that, Kyoko would still believe that Noriko was dead.

**.x.**

On the way home, her mother didn’t say a word. Kyoko didn’t dare to say anything either. She knew her mother was furious with her – she had to be. After all, she worked hard to raise a proper daughter. It would look so poorly on her that her precious and only living daughter would choose a life of delinquency after all the efforts her mother put into of avoiding that life. Kyoko knew that rumors spread across the school by now.

It was lunchtime when they arrived back home. It started to rain again but it was a light rain. Kyoko’s hair was soaked from the rain – she didn’t want to use an umbrella. She felt she needed to be punished by her mother in some way but because of her mom’s silence… she wasn’t sure if that was punishment enough or if the worse had yet to come.

In any other family, they would yell at their child for doing such a shameful act. They would punish them in some way – but not Kyoko’s mother.

“Kyoko, just go to your room; I’ll get lunch ready. After lunch, we’ll go to her family’s home to properly apologize.”

Again, the young teenage girl didn’t respond. Her head throbbed. Her throat ached. Her arms were sore. What could she say? If she said nothing, would it make the situation worse than it already was? Would it make it any better? Kyoko resigned not to say anything, in the end. She nodded her soaked head and proceeded to their very small bathroom.

They were lucky they could afford a home with a smallish bathroom with a tub especially with what her mother made at her jobs.

She took a bath and through the humid bath water, she released more tears she thought she ran out of. Her tears glistened in the bright lights of the bathroom as the morning’s event replayed in her mind over and over. She hugged herself – to make sure she was still human – and her fingernails dug deep into her skin. She could feel how much it hurt and she hoped that the girl could forgive her for her ghoulish actions. Most of all, she hoped she could find a way to forgive herself.

And yet, it oddly gave Kyoko a burst of hope. For the past ten years, she had believed her sister was dead, drowned, and disappeared. Her mother remained hopeful that her other daughter was still alive and even accepted the penance from that man’s family. Even though it hurt her, she started to realize that maybe Noriko was alive after all. Maybe she was somewhere out there – just waiting to be saved by her big sister. Or maybe, Kyoko was the one who was to be saved by her little sister.

As she cleaned herself from the outside rain, Kyoko couldn’t admit the spark of hope in her heart right away. She could feel its presence within her and she wanted it gone. It was something she always wanted gone – it had only grown as time went along. She wanted so much to deny it and especially after today, it almost overwhelmed her.

Kyoko released a sigh. She wished she could be more confident in her feelings like her mother was. She wished she could accept the delusion that Noriko was alive, but she knew she couldn’t. There was a bigger chance that her instincts were wrong and that Noriko’s body was at the bottom of the ocean. She was delusional.

But that girl… that girl looked so much like Kyoko, it was completely unnerving. However, because of what she did, she had to go repent to this girl’s family. No matter what she thought, her actions were inexcusable.

Even though she wasn’t going to get expelled from the school, she knew that her image changed permanently. Kyoko had made some enemies at her time there and she just knew they relished in her downfall. She knew that they were going to rub it in her face somehow. Kyoko wasn’t worried about an apology; it’s the aftermath at school is what she focused on.

Eventually, she got out of the bath and got dressed. Once she faced her mother, her mother still didn’t say anything. The guilt would always be there for her awful behavior but at least she had a plan of action – apologize to the Shiina family and then try to make it clear that what she did is considered unforgivable but it’s a worse crime to wear the face of someone who’s supposed to be dead. And then she’ll clean up her image back up. It may take her the rest of the school year, but she was willing to do so if only to quash that sickening feeling of hope.

Noriko was dead.


	7. Chapter Six: Be Kind

# A Broken Necklace

## Chapter Six: Be Kind

Once lunch was over, the trio went back into class, as though the incident didn’t happen that morning, to see students huddled over by where Noriko assumed to be Kyoko’s desk.

“So did she really get expelled?”

“No way! She managed to get a few days off! I wonder what happened to convince the principal to do that.”

“Heh, with her background, maybe her mom promised something lewd with the principal.”

Noriko couldn’t help but overhear. The same feeling when Yuka mentioned a potential affair with that girl’s father came back when they made such comments about Igarashi-san’s mother. Maybe it’s just because Noriko was that kind of a person – she wouldn’t imagine herself even humoring those rumors. Yuka pulled her to get the girl’s attention away from the rumors.

Maybe her disgust for such a conversation was clear on her face.

“Now, now, that’s not kind towards Igarashi-san,” an unfamiliar voice rang out. It grabbed Noriko’s attention and while Yukari didn’t seem to pay attention, Yuka looked extremely annoyed. “You shouldn’t spread any rumors about her. You shouldn’t kick anyone when they’re down. That’s very unkind.”

The girls turned to the doorway and sputtered in their embarrassment. “A-ah! Takamori-san! We-we were just repeating some rumors we just heard during lunch!”

Noriko quietly watched the scene before her as Yuka tried her best to suppress her own annoyance.

The girl they both looked at was a girl who seemed about their class year with wavy hair and it was pinned up with a flower ornament. Nothing too fancy, but it certainly looked expensive to Noriko. She had a feeling of grace and elegance about her. She almost seemed like the embodiment of flowers by herself. It certainly didn’t help that she was petit on top of everything.

However, the girl smiled and giggled. It did not match what she said earlier.

“Now, now, don’t repeat those nasty rumors. We have to make her comfortable in her new class, don’t we?”

She then turned and saw Noriko. While the girls stammered and agreed with what she said, Noriko and Yuka tried their best to ignore their conversation but once it was clear the slender girl was coming to them, Yuka stopped her.

“Takamori-kun, leave her alone. She’s been through enough already.” She literally stood in between the delicate girl and Noriko although Noriko wasn’t quite sure why.

“I wasn’t going to do anything, Nakano-san. And it’s Takamori- _san_ , not _kun_. That’s not ver—“

“We heard you. It’s not kind, right? Were you going to say that?”

The girl smiled and laughed gently. She laughed without a care in the world. Noriko could even feel Yukari grip her arm, as sore as it is, as the confrontation continued.

“Look, I know what you’re trying to do, Takamori-kun. Leave her alone.”

“Oh my, oh my, but I really do wish to talk to Shiina-san! It’s about what has been confirmed by the principal himself.”

Yuka stared at her and seemed to think about for a few moments. Soon enough, the girl let the other pass.

“Thank you, Nakano-san.”

Noriko mentally braced herself. She didn’t want to deal with whatever leftover Igarashi-san had at the school. Just because the two had the same faces did not mean she wanted to take on whatever role she may have had at the school. However, she didn’t want to be impolite either.

Once the girl got close enough, Noriko was surprised by how flowery her perfume was. She was almost overwhelmed by it but she did her best to put on her best smile. She could feel Yukari’s grip get tighter.

_M-maybe staying at this school was a bad idea after all…_

“Nice to meet you. I’m Takamori Aiko, I’m in 2-A. I wanted to tell you that Igarashi-san won’t be bothering you anymore because I just heard it from the principal himself that she will be transferring to a new classroom, most likely mine since this school is pretty small. I’m so sorry Igarashi-san attacked you in such a manner! Are you okay?”

Noriko laughed nervously. She wasn’t sure why she was telling her this. “Ahaha, it’s okay. Well, it doesn’t hurt as it did this morning but I’m sure it’ll heal quickly. I-it’s okay, really…”

The girl, named Takamori Aiko, sighed in relief. “Oh, that’s good! I was worried Igarashi-san did some irreparable damage to you! If she or her two friends decide to bully you, please feel free to get me. Nakano-san may be good for brute strength and Mizumoto-san, there’s not a lot you can do without your flute, huh?”

She smiled and cocked her head to the side. She could see Yuka get angry and Yukari trying her best to bite her tongue. However, before any one of them could respond, Aiko continued.

“I’m always around the corner if you need me! Please, let us be friends!” She grabbed Noriko’s hand, and managed to shoo off Yukari’s hand, and held it tight. There was a certain danger that Noriko could feel. Aiko laughed as though she didn’t just insult her friends in front of her. Noriko could feel herself get angry. She didn’t know what history this Aiko had with Igarashi-san but she imagined it wouldn’t be very good if she had to ‘warn’ her in such a manner.

Again, though, Noriko only laughed nervously. She wasn’t sure why there was so much bad blood but she wanted no part of it. She only wanted to complete this semester and next year – after that, she can just leave this odd town and only come back once she’s capable of helping her parents with the bakery. She made that determination after the girl let go of her hand and casually left the classroom.

“Augh! The nerve of Takamori-kun! She’s such a bitch! I don’t like what Igarashi-kun did you but she’s such a fake bitch, it hurts to stay quiet!” Yuka said as she threw an eraser after the girl. The other girls in the classroom complained about how rude and loud Yuka was but she didn’t care.

“I really wish there was a way to get back at her for those comments,” Yukari said. Unlike Yuka, Yukari took a deep breath and sighed. She didn’t seem that she held grudges for very long.

Noriko felt bad. She didn’t want to bring unwanted attention to her friends and she certainly didn’t want to see them angry.

“I’m sorry. The next time she comes in and tries to talk to me, I’ll tell her to go away!”

“The thing is about Takamori-kun is that it’s rumored she and Himekawa-kun are related somehow and that they have really bad blood. Some say she takes it out on Igarashi-kun because of that but I don’t know! As she says,” Yuka plugged her nose to mock Aiko’s voice, “it’s unkind!”

She let go and released an exaggerated breath.

“Does Himekawa-san come here to the same school?” Noriko asked.

“Sometimes, but mostly she ditches. I don’t know how they allow her to come back but she’s still on the roster. She is in this class after all.”

Noriko shrugged at that statement. Whatever the reasoning, Noriko didn’t want anything to do with it any more than she had already. Whatever Aiko’s goal was, Noriko and Igarashi-san may have the same face but it should be clear by now that they’re not the same person.

“How strange…” Noriko responded.

For the rest of the day, the students carried on for the rest of the first day as planned. Aside from calling Noriko a Kyoko Clone and the Great Survivor, the other students seemed to be welcoming to Noriko. However, Noriko thought it was best that she would ask her two new friends if they wanted to come over to her family’s bakery after school.

“After what happened and because of Takamori-kun, I definitely want to make sure you get home safe! Yukari! Cancel practice! We’re going to Shiina-kun’s bakery!”

Yukari nodded as she whipped out her phone and sent a message to someone to cancel her practice.

“Ah, you can call me Noriko! I really appreciate this, you guys. I wish my first day had gone a bit better but at least I met you two!” Noriko smiled brightly. She knew she was on the verge of tears. If this had been anyone else, they wouldn’t have stuck up for her in the way they did. They probably would’ve devolved into bullies themselves.

“Oh, it’s no problem! You can call me Yuka!”

“You can call me Yukari, Noriko-san!”

After they changed shoes and whipped out their umbrellas, the three girls went out into the wet world. Noriko felt relieved that no more strange dreams came up during the course of the day. She was grateful that maybe she can create new memories instead with Yuka and Yukari. Whatever those girls planned… Noriko wanted no part of it.

As far as she’s concerned, her past is dead.


	8. Chapter Seven: Water & Oil

# A Broken Necklace

## Chapter Seven: Water & Oil

After Kyoko got dressed and the two ate lunch, they both walked to the Shiina Bakery aptly named in English, “Hearts and Flours”. Kyoko thought it was a strange name to go with but it didn’t matter what her thoughts were in the end. She had to apologize to her parents and she was also quietly thankful that Noriko didn’t seem to come home. Perhaps she decided to ride the rest of the day out and then Kyoko felt a shiver up her spine.

“Takamori-san…” Kyoko muttered to herself. For reasons unknown to Kyoko, Takamori-san had been unnecessarily cruel to her. She always seemed sweet and genuinely kind to her but it was almost as though Takamori-san waited, no, salivated at the thought of Kyoko’s image failing. She had worked hard to get to where she was at, to be sure, but she had gained a frenemy in Takamori-san.

Kyoko always made it a point not to include her in her friend group – she wasn’t an idiot. Takamori-san’s grades almost caught up with Kyoko’s own and she only beat her by a few points. Takamori-san always made it seem it was amazing that Kyoko could beat her in grades but there was still a feeling of suspicion. Maybe she got ahold of Noriko somehow… Kyoko shook her head.

It shouldn’t matter. Why did she care if she recruited that demon or not? Noriko was dead, Noriko was dead, Noriko was dead, Noriko was—

“Kyoko-chan? Are you okay? Why are you grinding your teeth?” Her mother stopped the two from walking when they made their way to the bakery in the market.

She shook her head. “I-it’s nothing… I have a headache. Can we come back tomorrow?”

Her mother sighed and for the first time in a long time, she looked angry.

“No. You attacked this family’s daughter for no reason. I don’t know why; you won’t tell me but of all things we’ve been through these past ten years, _this_ is humiliating. This is degrading. You know better than to blindly attack a person.”

She sighed again.

“I know I haven’t been there. I know it seems I’m delusional about Noriko-chan still being alive but I know she is. I know in my heart she is, Kyoko. Whatever your reason is, it’s inexcusable. You’re incredibly lucky that your hard work on your grades paid off. But if you ever lay your hands on this girl again…Kyoko-chan, I’ll have to kick you out.”

Kyoko could feel her heart drop. She didn’t respond but she now knew better than to give her mother the reason why she attacked that demon. She absolutely could never explain why that girl looked like Noriko!!

“I didn’t want to do this. I want both of my little girls together again. I know it’ll happen… but I can’t have you live with me while you’re attacking students at your school. I’ve raised you better than that! I’m so humiliated…”

Luckily, there was hardly anyone around this time of day. However, Kyoko wanted her mother to stop. She didn’t want the more gossipy housewives to overhear this.

“Mama… I’m sorr—“

“Save your breath for the Shiina family. You can apologize to me later – but for now, we need to go see them. We need you to properly apologize.”

Her mother looked away. Kyoko then got a good look at her mother: Her long hair was now short in order to be maintained easier and it’d be easier for her to work with her hair so short. Her soft fingers were now callused with all the hours and extra hours she had to pull from her job. She was not as thin as she was before – because of the late nights and the amount of fast food she and her mother had to stuff in their faces, her metabolism slowed down a bit.  If Kyoko didn’t cook for her, she wouldn’t be as healthy as she was.

The rest of the walk for the couple was silent. Kyoko watched her feet walk in front of her while she somehow kept an eye on her mother. By now, the weather seemed to stop raining although it did seem that it might again. The walk was quiet as it was awkward.

Kyoko really lost herself earlier that morning. She could use any excuse or reason to pin the blame on that fake Noriko but in the end, she screwed up. If she had just left her alone… if her emotions didn’t consume her so easily… she could’ve ignored her. Kyoko could feel tears down her cheeks again. It was her fault that she was in this situation. She felt despair.

However, they arrived at the bakery.

There were some customers but since it was still the midday, it wasn’t as busy. After all, it was a new bakery – people in town probably wanted to get a feel for it before they could recommend it to others. When they arrived, Kyoko could smell how sweet everything was and it almost overwhelmed her. Her sense of smell had always been a bit more sensitive than others so she could smell the sugar from the sweets and bread.

“Oh, welcome to Hearts and Flours! How can we help you today?” The older woman beamed as the couple came inside. Kyoko had a good look at her – she looked nothing like her mother. She was a bit fatter and seemed strong as an ox. Her hair was tied back and it was covered with a white scarf to ensure her hair didn’t get into the bread before them.

Before Kyoko could say anything, her mother spoke.

“Hi, my name is Igarashi-san and there was an… incident at school today involving my daughter and your daughter. I’m sorry, but is she here right now?”

Her mother’s grace and elegance seeped out of her words as though they haven’t spent the past ten years living in dire conditions.

The Shiina mother stared at Kyoko for a moment before she answered. She wondered if she reminded of her the demon. She has to know that they share the same face but she’s not the real Noriko. She better not say her name, not to her mother.

“Oh, I see. You’re that Igarashi’s mother, I presume.” That wasn’t a question. It was a statement and one that dripped with reasonable anger.

“Th-that’s Igarashi- _san_ , Shiina-san,” Kyoko’s mother corrected her. And then she nodded. “Yes, I am Igarashi-san’s mother.”

“Let me close up the ship. Noriko decided to stay at the school today so we won’t see her until this afternoon.”

Just as predicted, Kyoko watched her mother for her reaction – Noriko may have just been a popular name at the time. Maybe it’s just a coincidence that she was named after her dead sister, it had to be. But her eyes widened for just a moment.

“Uh, excuse me, did you say Noriko? That’s your daughter’s name?”

The mother seemed to ignore the question as she walked behind the couple and switch the sign from ‘open’ to ‘closed’. She then walked to the back area and yelled something that sounded like a name but Kyoko couldn’t hear it very well. Very quickly, a man came out from the back and he looked strong and silent. He seemed extremely tall and intimidating. Kyoko couldn’t help but take a few steps back at the size of him.

“Wait… did you say Noriko?” Her mother repeated.

The demon’s mother looked at her mother and then back at her. She stared at Kyoko for quite a while before her mother became clearly agitated.

“Shiina-san!” Her voice screeched.

“M-mother, please… relax…” Kyoko could see in herself from that morning in her eyes. Was this how she acted? Was it in their blood to be this way over her dead twin?

“Igarashi-san, you will not yell at my wife.” The man’s voice echoed in the bakery. Her mother seemed to calm down but she still had delusional excitement in her eyes. However, she took a few breaths and looked down.

“I-I apologize for that. I…I’m sure you’ve heard about us by now.”

“I don’t believe we had,” the larger woman said. “But, you’re not here to swap your tragic story, are you? You’re here because your daughter attacked my daughter.”

“Y-y-yes,” Her mother breathed. “Kyoko, apologize with me.” Her mother didn’t look at them in the eye after that. Instead, she brought herself down to the knees. She grabbed Kyoko down to get her to do the same thing. Kyoko understood. Her awful father left them in complete shambles. She thought she was better put together than her mom. She was wrong, oh, she was wrong. The spirit of Noriko came to haunt them and to terrorize them. She came back after ten years to make sure to torture her and her mother.

Once she reached the ground, a ground she hoped the family mopped, she couldn’t believe that she sunk to this level.

“I’m so sorry, Shiina-san, for attacking your daughter. I shouldn’t have done it. I shouldn’t have reacted in such a way. Our family is small and very much broken. My sister… my sister is dead and I reacted very poorly. Please forgive us.”

She heard a sigh.

“My daughter is truly ashamed of herself and we promise that she will never bring harm to her anymore. Please forgive her and forgive me for my previous actions.”

Another sigh.

“Get up. You don’t have to kowtow like that.”

Kyoko couldn’t bring herself to look up. Her eyes were clouded with regret and hurt. Her family was broken. Her father destroyed the happiness they had, just between the three of them. If he hated things so much, he should’ve drowned himself. That’s easier to explain to her mother. That’s easier to explain to principals and managers. It’s easier to understand than explaining a ghost of her dead twin sister. It would’ve been worse if she was wet – Kyoko was sure she would’ve killed her then.

“Get up, don’t make me repeat myself.”

Finally, they got up as they sniffled and silently cried. When her mother saw Kyoko, she turned away immediately. Her father stood there and watched the two women try to bow once again. However, it was clear that his wife didn’t want to face them anymore. She stepped out of the room.

“On behalf of my wife, we accept your apology. However, you need to apologize to Noriko. As her parents, we were planning to remove her from that school but because of _her_ insistence, she chose to stay there. We want to respect our daughter’s wishes. Don’t come back again like this.”

He walked past the couple to switch the signs again.

“Now, if you don’t mind, are you buying some bread with us today?”

**.x.**

Kyoko couldn’t stand to stay at home. Her mother had a breakdown in the house after that. She wanted to meet Shiina Noriko and kept repeating her name as she cried. Kyoko made things worse had she stayed there. She looked like her and that’s all it took for her mother to wail out for Noriko. She begged to whatever deity that listened to bring her back home. She pleaded that she would give up her life if only to see her daughter again, even if it’s a moment.

Kyoko left. She wandered around the local market as the day repeated in her head. The day was long as it was awful. She didn’t know how long she walked around the market but she found herself staring at the bakery. What happened earlier…? Noriko’s mother must’ve recognized her as that demon. Maybe she realized her daughter was a demon after all.

“Kyoko-chan…” cried out a familiar voice. She looked up and saw her two worried friends, Miho and Anastasia. It looked like school had just let out since they both had their uniforms still. Once she saw something that reminded her of the better future she tried to carve for herself, she couldn’t help but cry. Her friends rushed over with their umbrellas and comforted their friend to the best of their abilities. They didn’t say anything but hushed as they comforted her. They knew the kind of life she grew up with; the pain with losing a loved one was harsh enough but especially since it was her younger sister… Kyoko will always have to carry the guilt that she failed as the older twin.

“I’m so sorry, Kyoko-chan,” Miho said as she patted her head gently. “Let’s go get something to eat. Maybe that’ll help cheer you up! It’ll be our treat.”

The girl nodded as she was released in the hug and the three girls started to go the local burger joint. Kyoko couldn’t help but smile in their presence. She really was lucky to have a friend like Miho; they had been friends a little bit after the incident. The students tried to bully her about how ‘cursed’ she was in regards to the tragic death of her sister. However, Miho managed to stand up for her and even became her friend. She had been together with her since, supporting her on the side.

The smile didn’t last long until Kyoko saw the familiar face of Noriko, except there was a bandage on her face and she seemed to lead two other students from their school. One of them she recognized as Yuka Nakano, a girl who seemed to be quite brutish as she was a karate master. She had always been rude to Kyoko in little ways but ultimately, she didn’t think much of her. Outside of school, she didn’t consider her. She also noticed another girl she wasn’t as familiar with although she remembered she would have to give her homework as she would often be out for practices for her music competitions.

Both groups stopped in the middle of the road. As much as Kyoko’s own rage took over, she could only see the fear, sadness, and a strange sense of familiarity in the girl’s eyes through her own fear, sadness, and the nagging feeling that she was wrong – Noriko was alive and well.


	9. Chapter Eight: Autumn Pains

# A Broken Necklace

## Chapter Eight: Autumn Pains

The temptation was strong. After everything that happened that morning, the temptation to take her revenge was strong. She was truthfully angry at the mirror, uninjured, image before her; but she really didn’t have in her the way this girl apparently had.

One of her friends, the one with the black short hair, gasped.

“What are you doing here?” Yuka stepped in front of her. Whether she wore her uniform or not, she wanted to step in front of Noriko to protect her while Yukari gently grabbed Noriko’s arm in case they had to run away. Noriko felt nervous but she wanted to stand her ground. She never had to deal with bullying herself but she didn’t want the other girl to get the idea she was weak. “Get out of here!”

Noriko realized they too were on their way to the same burger joint that was recommended by Yuka; she would apparently go there after karate practice.

The short-haired girl, Noriko never got her name, quickly regained her composure and glared at Yuka. “We want to eat here too!” The girl answered while Igarashi-san looked away, with perhaps guilt in her eyes; it didn’t matter to Noriko. She could feel the anger she thought was weak grow stronger.

A burst of betrayal engulfed her heart the longer she looked at the twin image. She didn’t even know her but as the two girls argued on their behalves, Noriko had a flash of a strange dream.

She remembered her mirror image knock over a vase. A vase was precious to Mama had been knocked over. She remembered crying and her proper mirror image had a cut on her arm. She grabbed the arm and inspected it. In truth, the cut wasn’t bad at all; a mere scrape. The image of the girl became more familiar. Some comforting words were exchanged but she felt her arm being grabbed.

“Why did you break it?!”

She was confused. “Why did you break the vase?!”

“But I didn’t break it…”

“Noriko!”

Noriko blinked and she was still outside. Older and with a bandage on her face with Yuka yelling at the other girl before her, it took a moment for Noriko to realize she wasn’t a child anymore. She had a strange dream in the middle of the day and she felt compelled to yell.

“I didn’t break the vase!”

The other girls were surprised at the sudden exclamation before them. It was silent for a short moment until Igarashi-san responded.

“How did… Who are you? Why…Why do you know about that? How did you know about the vase?!!” Igarashi-san tried to make her way but the silver-haired girl grabbed her arm and the other girl turned around quickly to stop her from doing anything else.

“Kyoko-chan! Please, not here, not here!” The girl’s tone changed and even Yuka looked worried.

“What the hell is she talking about? A vase?” Yuka took a step back to be more of a barrier between Igarashi’s group and Noriko.

“I didn’t break the vase!”

Now Noriko wasn’t even sure why she started to cry. She didn’t know why she wanted to let Igarashi know about the stupid vase. The stupid, fragile vase – it wasn’t her fault. It wasn’t her fault. Nothing about this situation was her fault. All she remembered was her… sister… crying…

It was Noriko’s turn to try to reach the other.

“I didn’t break the vase! I know I didn’t! But I think I know who did! The vase….! The vase!!”

“Okay, time to go. Noriko, I think it’s time leave,” Yuka said as she tried to keep her from attaining that goal.

“How did you know about the vase?? I…I know it’s not you!”

Suddenly, Noriko was compelled to stop. A shockwave was sent in her brain and her head ached. She bent down and groaned in pain. It seared as the strange dream got more and more vivid – the hits from the morning came back to her but not in the way she thought. They were waves. Waves of the cruel oceans that gave her the strange dreams in the first place – everything Igarashi-san just said… it somehow clicked. It somehow gave her the idea that they fought for the wrong reasons.

Kyoko.

Kyoko-nee.

However, the images came at a lightning speed that it crammed her head. She wanted to scream and cry and she felt Yukari try to comfort her. She thought she heard Yuka’s voice but soon other hands and arms reached out to her. She closed her eyes and could feel her body move. She forced her eyes shut. She felt cold and wet.

Her chest tightened.

Her head hurt her more than it ever did.

“Give me back my sister!”

Her eyes shot open.

Noriko saw herself by a car with a man whose glasses were a bit too big for his face. She had her hair down but she wore her favorite doughnut jacket. Everything else was a flash, but Noriko turned again one last time and saw Kyoko… her sister, go back to sleep.

That was the last time she had seen her.

That morning, that day, whenever happened that day, she had hope that her Mama and her big sister would find her and that she was wanted. But Noriko knew and she believed the lies that were told to her. Her mama had always loved her. Her sister cared for her.

“Give me back my sister!”

Finally, she woke up. She was at home again. Her head was in incredible pain and by the lack of light from her curtains, she must’ve fainted. She must’ve blacked out.

_What happened before? Where was I?_

Anything she thought of was gone except for the image of a broken vase and a scrape that wasn’t hers. She remembered she saw Igarashi-san and two girls that she presumed to be two friends of hers. Yuka and Yukari… tried to protect her but Noriko wanted to tell Igarashi-san about a vase and how it wasn’t her fault.

_What did I mean by that? Oh… my head…_

But it came back. The images, the feelings, and the hope – it all came back. Kyoko-nee was hurt, wasn’t she? She thought Noriko was a fake, didn’t she? She must’ve suffered, hadn’t she? There was no way she could forget that again. The beating she received this morning must’ve triggered it and she hated Igarashi-san for it. By all accounts, she had that right to be angry. It was unprovoked but…Why did she freak out at the meeting earlier? Why couldn’t they have just go to the burger joint and ignore them like she was supposed to? She shouldn’t have stared at her.

The broken vase… Noriko grabbed her necklace and she sighed in resignation. As much as she wanted to bury it, she at least recognized Kyok… Igarashi-san as maybe her sister. It would’ve made sense at least that much – they looked so much alike. It would’ve been insane to deny it at this point.

However, Noriko was scared. If these strange dreams were real, and they felt so real and true, she would probably have to leave her Mama and Papa. They took care of her as she grew up when she didn’t have anyone… or maybe she thought she didn’t have anyone. However, the next question would be… how would she approach Igarashi-san?

“I can’t exactly say, ‘Hey! I think I got my memories back!’ after today, especially after today…” She muttered to herself. She tried to piece together what happened. She glanced at the time and saw it was pretty close to bedtime. She groaned as she got up; her head throbbed with enormous pain and she even wondered if it was a good idea to leave her room.

She quietly opened her door and hoped that it wasn’t bright out. Thankfully, it wasn’t. She continued to walk and it was only then she realized she still wore her uniform. It was a little muddy from earlier and she wondered if Yuka and Yukari were okay… Noriko made a mental note to check her phone when she’s able to send a message to them.

More importantly, though, because it may a mixture between her getting used to the house and her strange… memories coming back, she felt a bit light-headed as she navigated through the structure she lived in.

She couldn’t seem to find her parents anywhere. If it was late as it was, most likely, they were cleaning up the bakery. She almost turned around when she heard a familiar beep.

Noriko saw that her cell phone had been placed on the table. It must’ve been placed when her friends brought her inside after what had happened. Noriko would have to get the rundown from Yuka since she seemed to be the one who took care of her. She would have to treat her sometime.

Noriko grabbed her phone and opened it. The message before her shocked her. She didn’t know how she managed to get this message from her, of all people and even after Yuka’s warnings, something about this message and especially its random appearance of all things that scared her.

“Hey! I’m really sorry that this is sudden but as it turns out that I’m in your class now! They gave me the student roster and it’s encouraged at our school that class representatives input all the students’ phone numbers to help keep the class average up. Please keep your chin up! I’m rooting for you! Since we’re in the same class, I wanted to give you my full support! Let’s do our best!”

It was from Takamori-san.


	10. Chapter Nine: Clip-On Earrings

#  **A Broken Necklace**

## Chapter Nine: Clip-On Earrings

Kyoko really lost her head. Even a few days after Noriko seemed to remember about that incident with the vase, she wouldn’t have known after the fact. Noriko didn’t show up to school for a few days because of her injuries along with her splitting headache that afternoon.

It broke her heart to realize that her mother was right all along. All along, her mother’s intuition had been correct while she long since denied it – Noriko was indeed her missing sister.

The reason why they couldn’t find her body was because she managed to escape. She didn’t know how her sister survived but she did. She clearly lost her memories from the time they were a family – maybe it was better that way. Maybe it was better that way they were separated like this.

From the look of the bakery, the family seemed well-off. From the healthy build of her adopted parents, she was going to be okay. She wouldn’t have to see how she and her mother suffered. At least, Noriko would have a chance to live and to succeed.

Her heart crumbled at the realization. There were never enough tears to shed and it’s at least something she could heal from. With the despair that her sister was dead, she had been a bit cold and a little less than understanding. Miho wouldn’t have to have argued with Nakano-san after Noriko passed out. She wouldn’t have used her friends as a shield when she could’ve just faced it on her own. She just stood there and let the fight resume in front of her. The girls didn’t waver and, in the end, neither of them got to eat out as intended.

And after the days passed, Takamori-san had managed to switch classes from her. Kyoko wondered why she did so. She would’ve had the perfect opportunity to call Kyoko a hypocrite – it’s what she lived for after all. Not to mention, she just transferred into the class her hated sibling was in.

“Hey, hey! Why are you in my class?” a crude voice echoed in the hallways. This time, it wasn’t from Kyoko. The other students had thrived on the drama between her and Noriko – calling Kyoko the evil twin and Noriko the good twin. She was more than aware of her status in her school. No one liked her before – they certainly didn’t like her now, but she was thankful for any attention away from her.

“Himekawa-san, please don’t act like this in public, it’s not kind!” It didn’t sound like they were in the middle of the moving students.

Miho and Anastasia had gotten a bit of a cold since it did eventually rain on them in the middle of their arguments but Kyoko managed to luck out. She managed to ignore the two arguing but it was clear who it was – Takamori-san and her estranged sister, Himekawa-san.

From what Kyoko understood, the two’s parents had gotten married after one night of extreme passion; and in that passion, they decided to get married. Because they were from opposite ends of the tracks, as they say, they didn’t get along very well.

Himekawa Yuki was a very athletic girl and joined various sports clubs and caused quite a ruckus. She managed to bring attention to the school’s sports teams but she never stayed in a club for longer than two weeks. She always seemed bored of whatever club she chose while Takamori Aiko excelled in the school’s studies. However, Kyoko wasn’t privy to their at home life but she got a general idea that it wasn’t as great as people apparently thought it was. Himekawa had a bad habit of skipping school after she quit a club – perhaps she was ashamed of quitting the club so soon but she never outwardly acted that way.

She didn’t ask for Takamori-san’s life story but that was a mistake she made when she first talked to the flower girl. There were probably other details Takamori-san divulged but Kyoko couldn’t remember for the life of her or even bothered to remember.

However, she would be lying if she didn’t admit that she wasn’t curious about the arguments they had out loud.

“Be kind? What does being kind have anything to do with it? I thought our agreement was to not to be in the same classes! I’m going to call your dad.”

Eventually, Kyoko realized that the two were around the corridor. She poked her head and listened quietly.

“W-wait! Himekawa-san!”

“Don’t call me that! Call me Yuki! I’m your _sister_ after all!”

Kyoko poked her head around the corner where she could clearly hear the two’s conversation. It was a break, after all, from her own drama with her own sister.

“Himekawa-san… you know my rules. I don’t understand why you feel that way and frankly, I don’t care. You’re loud, rude, and obnoxious. You’re everything I’m not – and I prefer to keep us separate. If I have to deal with you at home, respect the rules at school.”

Kyoko was aghast at Takamori-san’s true self emerging from the façade she always carried with her at school – “Be kind, always be kind,” was her personal motto. That had to be Takamori-san’s true self – there was no way she would ever be this crass towards anyone else at the school. But it made sense to her – she always had an underlying anger that Kyoko couldn’t pinpoint but to see it openly like that simply shocked her. She tried to pay attention to the rest of the conversation.

“Aiko, I really don’t know what your fucking problem with me is. I _am_ respecting you! You told me to skip school anytime I quit a club. I _do_ that. You also told me to stay in our separated class – _who was the one who transferred into **my** class_?!”

Before Takamori-san could answer, the bell rang its melodious tone. Even Kyoko was surprised, so she flinched.

She saw the two turn their heels and walk in separate directions. Kyoko had to make it to her own class in time but she also didn’t want to be caught by either of them. She hated it when she had the whole school’s attention when she… Kyoko shook her head. She didn’t want to relive it.

**.x.**

The class didn’t feel long at all. With Takamori-san transferred to Noriko’s class, she didn’t envy the students’ position. She tried to put the incident in the back of her mind as quickly as possible but knew that she couldn’t really forget about what she did so easily. And the students wouldn’t let her either.

Students would quip at her at the rage Kyoko apparently had underneath her exterior. In this class, it seemed to be somewhat similar. The teacher didn’t seem to care about the drama – probably wanted just get by with the day. They would just tell the students to knock it off and focus on their work. Kyoko would have to bite her tongue – she already knew what she was capable of. Her reputation of being wholesome was completely shot with the students.

Once it was lunchtime, Kyoko felt embarrassed as she brought out her lunch. They did share lunches with the other classes but without Miho and even Anastasia, Kyoko really didn’t have any friends. Had Noriko grew up with her after all, they would all sit with each other. Nakano-san and Mizumoto-san wouldn’t glare at her from a distance but maybe talking about things Kyoko would find oddly fascinating. However, until her friends were better, she was alone, at least, until she heard a tray next to her settle.

When Kyoko turned around, she noticed a girl who looked very small to be a teenager but was in her new class. She had long brown hair that was tied in a red ribbon. On top of her head was a striped green and white ribbon. If it wasn’t for her uniform, Kyoko would’ve thought that she was someone’s lost child. She slightly jumped at the girl next to her. She smiled a bit, though, to at least present herself as friendly – in spite of what happened just a few days earlier.

“O-oh, hi! Did you want me to move?” Kyoko was prepared to get up but the girl grabbed her arm and motioned for her to stay.

“No, it’s okay. I want to sit next to you.” The girl smiled brightly and Kyoko could feel the warmness of her smile and the earnest feeling she got. “My name is Yorita Yoshino.”

“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Igarashi Kyoko. I’m… sure you’ve heard of me from the past few days nonstop.” She tried to suppress her nervous laughter although a little bit came out of her lips. She hoped the girl would accept it.

The girl nodded which didn’t ease Kyoko’s feelings at all, but she spoke. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m glad you seem to be okay. But where are your friends?”

Kyoko couldn’t understand why the girl said that but she blinked. How did she know about Kyoko’s friends? Then again, it’s obvious the three were really close friends but, around this girl, she felt compelled to tell the truth.

“They’re sick… They were arguing on my behalf… I feel bad for the trouble I’ve caused.” Kyoko said. She tried to avoid the girl’s brown eyes but the girl didn’t seem to be offended by the action. Kyoko did notice that girl nodded gently.

“I understand. But don’t worry, things will get better. I know you transferred to my class recently and I didn’t get a chance to sit with you before but… I hope we can be friends.”

Kyoko couldn’t help but be touched. Even though she acted in such a horrific manner, it seemed that something else came out of it – she finally accepted that Noriko, her twin sister, was alive after all and, aside from Miho and Anastasia, she finally made another ally.

The two started to talk about other things to help keep Kyoko’s mind off of the conversation she watched earlier and what happened between Himekawa and Takamori-san.

Kyoko could feel herself shed anew as she talked to Yorita-san, who would later correct her to call her Yoshino. However, once lunch was over, Kyoko noticed that Yoshino pulled out some jewelry and they looked really cute.

“What’s that, Yoshino-s…Yoshino?”

The girl clipped them on her ears. “They’re clip-on earrings! I’ve had these since I was a kid. My mom gave them to me as a present and I never let them go.”

Kyoko’s heart throbbed.

Her grandmother’s necklace.


End file.
